In Christianity, the day of the week devoted to rest and worship is Sunday, or the "Lord's Day." This weekly holiday has its roots in the Jewish Sabbath, with the day transferred from Saturday to Sunday because that is the day on which the resurrection occurred.
Early Sunday observance is suggested in the New Testament {1} and in the writings of the early church fathers:
But every Lord's Day, gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. {2}
We have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's Day. {3}
But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God ... made the world. And Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead on that same day. {4}
References
- - Ac 20:7; 1 Co 16:2; Rev 1:10.
- Didache 14, ANF 7.381 (c. 90 AD).
- Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Magnesians 9, ANF 1.62 (c. 105 AD).
- Justin Martyr, First Apology, ANF 1.186 (c. 160 AD).